TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — The city of Tallahassee came together for the first day of its 15th annual summer Ernie Sims' Charity Weekend, hosted by Ernie Sims.
On Friday, July 8, a youth football and cheer camp took place and a track and field invitational is set to take place on Saturday, July 9.
Ernie Sims, who played football at North Florida Christian before playing at Florida State and in the NFL, stated he would rather host the charity in his hometown than anywhere else.
"I genuinely love Tallahassee," said Sims. "I want to see every single young man and woman come out of Tallahassee successful. I'm just trying to do my small part in doing that."
Sims also stated for the past 15 years, being able to give back to his hometown is what drives him to do so.
Nearly two dozen community partners came together for the charity on Friday.
"We wanted to bring communities together," said Sims. "We wanted to break down barriers, and we wanted to unite everybody."
Leon County Sheriff Walk McNeil said Sims' heart is "as big as gold" to come back to his hometown and pour himself into his own community.
Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey added how thankful the community is for Sims to host the annual charity weekend.
"In today's society, we need great role models for our kids, and you look around and there's several hundred kids out here," said Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey.
One North Florida Christian athlete that helped coach the youth camp described how him assisting the camp makes him feel.
"I feel like I can be a role model to these kids out here and that just makes everything ten times better," said Traylon Ray.
Sims stated that the charity weekend aims to serve as a positive beacon in the community despite any circumstances that may be taking place in the city.
The Charity Weekend will end on Saturday with the track and field invitational, which is set to take place at Mike Long Track at Florida State.
